Researchers at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in their latest findings have discovered a new delicacy for Kenyans-Longhorn Grasshopper (Ruspolia differens) commonly known in Swahili as Senene that if commercialised by farmers can help them diverse their income sources.
This is of course after the previous breakthrough discoveries on the commercial and health benefits of consuming insects such as crickets and more recently, a specific type of snail.
The Longhorn Grasshopper was availed during the First Ruspolia International Symposium staged at the university last year December where the researchers acknowledged that the grasshopper which is highly underutilized especially among Kenyans is of high commercial value, and Uganda and Tanzania are already reaping huge rewards from the delicacy.
“In Tanzania for instance, Senene is a popular delicacy especially during the swarming season when they are plenty. About half a cup of the Senene would sell for approximately Sh600 when they are out of season and you would buy the same quantity for Sh300 during the swarming season,” said Mercy Mmari, a food nutritionist from Tanzania.
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With the current projections indicating the world population will surge to 9.2 billion by 2050 further increasing the already overburdened protein demand, the researchers indicated that Senene will ease the strain of the common protein sources with a variety of nutritional composition.
They established protein content of 37.1 per cent and 35.3 per cent, fat content of 48.2 per cent and 46.2 per cent, ash content of 2.8 per cent and 2.6 per cent, a fibre content of 3.9 per cent and 4.9 per cent for the green and brown grasshoppers, respectively. Among the macro minerals, potassium (K) was the most abundant with a value of 370.6 mg/100g and 259.7.
In addition to their rich nutritional value, the researchers stated that research is currently underway to ascertain the medicinal and aphrodisiac properties associated with the Longhorn grasshopper following a high recommendation from the mass consumers in Uganda and Tanzania.
The Principal, College of Pure and Applied Sciences (COPAS), Prof. David Mulati, who officially opened the ceremony on behalf of the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Production and Extension, Prof. Mary Abukutsa, expressed his delight at hosting the symposium in JKUAT saying the move confirmed the confidence the international researchers had in the university’s effort in promoting such research.
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He reaffirmed the University’s commitment to continue engaging in research on edible insects while making reference to others like crickets and black soldier flies as well as the Longhorn grasshoppers so as to ease the global variety of protein sources.
Dr. John Kinyuru who is a Food and Nutrition specialist, lecturer at JKUAT as well as the convener of the symposium, noted that despite the benefits accrued from the insect, handlers of the insects need to have insight into the animal behavior in order to rare them in mass production for either commercial or food. He said cannibalistic tendencies among the species is a common behavior and therefore handlers required training and guidance to maximize the quality and quantity of the insects during mass production.
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Dr. Kinyuru makes his introductory Ruspolia differens presentation titled “the story from the beginning”
He urged people with a keen interest in raring the Longhorn grasshopper to contact him through his email address: jkinyuru@agr.jkuat.ac.ke.
The symposium brought together over 30 established local and international researchers in edible insects from Kenya, Belgium, Tanzania, Uganda among other.